BRUSSELS - Speaking at the conference on European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) in Brussels Sep. 3, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said it was important that the neighborhood policy as one of the strongest external instruments of the EU would be developed further.
"ENP countries making faster progress should be rewarded for their achievements, offering an advanced level of cooperation and also increased financing from the EU side. This will stimulate all ENP countries to pursue the reform agenda, thus contributing to the development of the neighbourhood as a whole," the Estonian minister was quoted by spokespeople as saying.
The EU should focus on the possibilities of expanding the four freedoms in its relations with the ENP countries, he said.
"The presidency report approved in June rightly highlights the importance of deeper economic integration, first of all improved access of ENP countries to the EU markets. In this context the prospect of free trade agreements is very important," Paet said.
He named visa facilitation as another area where further progress was desirable, as easier travel to the EU would be a visible improvement for many citizens of the neighborhood countries and lead to enhanced contacts.
The European Union should also find ways to increase its engagement in the resolution of the conflicts of the neighbourhood, which pose a long-term threat to stability.
"I would especially highlight the need to work closely together in the sphere of energy. We need an effective multilateral dialogue on the security of supply and on related environmental issues," Paet said.
Speaking about relations between Estonia and ENP countries, Paet said that Estonia had for the first time appointed its diplomatic representatives to reside in southern ENP countries -- Egypt and Israel. This, he added, increases our possibility to develop ties with ENP countries to the south of the Mediterranean.
The EU launched the neighborhood policy in 2004 to back its neighbors' political, economic and social reforms and intensify bilateral relations.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Petras Vaitiekunas placed more emphasis on the need to strengthen economic and political cooperation with the EU's eastern neighbors.
In the opinion of Vaitiekunas, the European Union should promote free trade with Moldova and Georgia and work to integrate the countries covered by the European neighborhood policy into the internal market of the European Union.
The minister urged the European Commission to finalize negotiations over a facilitated visa regime with Moldova and start preparing for similar negotiations with Georgia.
The foreign minister urged the participants in the conference to pay attention to the issue of 'frozen' conflicts on the territories of Georgia and Moldova, and made reference to the recent dropping of a missile on Georgian territory which some experts say came from Russia. The Lithuanian minister called upon EU countries to voice a clear mutual position on this matter.
The event was attended by foreign ministers, other officials, members of non-governmental organizations from 43 countries -- the European Union and the countries of the European neighborhood policy.
On the even of the conference, Vaitiekunas attended an informal meeting of foreign ministers from the Baltic countries, plus the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary suggestive of early attempts to create an 'Eastern Front' to counterbalance Mediterranean interests.
